Baby by the Letter

Lately I have been thinking about parenting.  I don't have any brilliant insights or new theories but there are a couple of things I aim for, in terms of my own behavior.  They all happen to start with the same letter too, which means I should probably make a meme or something.  Anyway, here is what I've come up with:

Present!
Since Babycakes was born, I have been trying to be present when I'm with him.  Right now, when he's immobile and just kind of staring at stuff, it's easy to let him sit and stare while I Facebook or whatever, but I'm trying to avoid doing that.  For one thing, I'm paranoid about him not getting enough interaction and turning out weird and underdeveloped.  But mostly I want to enjoy his babyhood, since it won't last forever or even very long, in the scheme of things.  I'm sure no matter what, I will wind up wailing about the time and where it has gone, but I don't want to look back and realize I left him to entertain himself for hours when we could have had quality time.  

(Of course, sometimes I do just lie on the couch and dabble on my phone while the little one plays on the floor with the dogs.)

(It is also true that I could do better with being present in my life in general, instead of focusing on the unpredictable future and what I'll do after X, Y and Z [possibly] happen.)

Patient!
It is a truth universally acknowledged that babies can be frustrating.  Babycakes is pretty mellow, but even he sometimes weeps and wails for no apparent reason.  What I have learned is that the more upset he gets, the more calm I must be.  In some ways I think this will be easier now than later, when he's two and throwing himself on the floor because I won't let him eat cheese for dinner. 

Positive! 
A positive outlook helps everything, right?  This is hard when one is overly tired, which leads me to...

Passing off!
Once in a while, usually in the early morning, I just have to hand this baby off to Drewbles because I'm so tired I think I might die.  But besides the literal passing off, we also have to take turns being the positive one, the diaper-changing one, the rocking one, the patient one or what have you.  

Praise!
I try to consistently praise three people: myself, Drewbles and Babycakes.  (Okay, to be honest, I am more likely to berate myself, but Drew praises me.)  I praise Drewbles for being good about the passing off and being a good Daddio.  I praise Babycakes for being such a good and happy baby.  He is a good baby on his own, but I figure the more I tell him that the more it will be true.  

Playful!
We always try to have a good time.  

Obviously!